Iran-Russia ties benefit entire region, Rouhani tells Putin

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Chinese city of Shanghai on May 21.

During the meeting Iranian president said that cooperation between the two countries will contribute to the establishment of stability and security in the region, Iran's IRIB News Agency reported.

"Iran and Russia have historic relations," he said.

Rouhani also underlined the need for the further promotion of bilateral ties between the two countries.

"Tehran-Moscow cooperation over the past few months has significantly contributed to regional peace," he added.

Putin, for his part, said that Iran and Russia are two old neighbors and reliable partners, adding that the two countries share similar stances even under critical global conditions.

"We need to tap into our vast potentialities to further boost the ties," he added. "Tehran and Moscow shoulder a heavy responsibility to safeguard the stability, security and development of the Caspian Sea region."

The meeting was held at the sidelines of the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Shanghai.

CICA is a multi-national forum to enhance cooperation in a bid to promote peace, security and stability in Asia